The instant invention relates to waste containers for diapers and more particularly to diaper pails intended to minimize odor associated with the use of such diaper pails and the temporary storage of diapers within such diaper pails.
Diaper pails for disposing of soiled diapers are known in the art. A conventional diaper pail typically includes a pail portion which holds a disposal bag, and a receptacle assembly mounted on top of the pail configured to receive the soiled diaper and transfer the soiled diaper into the disposal bag while minimizing the release of odor from previously disposed diapers already within the disposal bag.
Various receptacle assemblies within the prior art have included rotating drums contained within a housing having an opening communicating with the internal disposal bag. The drum has an opening to receive the soiled diaper. To dispose of the diaper, the drum is rotated to align the drum opening with the top opening in the housing. Once the diaper is received into the opening in the drum, the drum is rotated to align the drum opening with the lower opening and allow the diaper to drop into the disposal bag. For example, the inventor's prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,651,231 and 5,765,339 disclose such a diaper pail including a rotating drum with a piston valve for moving the diaper into the disposal bag. US Patent Publication No. 20070125792 to Pollack et al also discloses a somewhat similar diaper pail including a rotating drum, which is actuated by an electromechanical drive system.
While these types of diaper pails have had relatively good commercial success, it has been found that the existing designs still have drawbacks that could be improved upon. For example, it has been found that the existing designs still do not effectively prevent the escape of odors. Providing a seal around the housing and between the upper receptacle assembly and the lower pail is not a difficult task, as these components do not move relative to each other during normal use and the seals are loaded only in compression, but, this arrangement does require multiple seals and additional related parts as well as additional cost and complexity. On the other hand, the provision of a substantially airtight seal between moving components is not as simple, and the most difficult place to provide a seal is between the moving surfaces of the drum and the lower half of the drum housing. The inventor's '231 and '339 patents attempted to provide a seal by securing a foam sheet between the surfaces of the drum and the inner shroud and/or a ring seal surrounding the lower opening into the pail. However, in practice, foam sheets and other ring seals have not been ideal. One issue is that the hook and loop tabs on diapers are prone to catch on the edges of the seal or on the face of the seal itself, and become lodged between the drum and the housing. In such an event, where two surface are moving relative to each other but are constrained to a constant separation, a great deal of compressive and shear force is generated between the rotating and fixed surfaces often destroying the foam or other soft seal. Another issue is that the sheet foam seals are expensive to manufacture and required the use of soft foam with a top fabric layer to reduce friction. Stamping these seals from roll stock created a great deal of waste. Further, the foam seals have to be properly positioned and glued in place, or carefully positioned in place, requiring skilled labor. O-ring seals also are not ideal. They are hard to hold in place and are easily displaced during use. If the O-ring is too hard, the seal does not properly conform to the surface irregularities between the drum and the housing. If the O-ring is soft enough to conform to the drum surface, then the coefficient of friction is too high and the drum is hard to turn.
In contrast, Pollack '792 does not include any type of seal between the drum and the housing, and the escape of odor is instead handled by providing seals, which are not in contact with the rotating surface, but rather are positioned both above and below the rotating drum, and further by including a charcoal filter or other scent emitting devices to mask the escaping odors. Odor eliminating devices need to be replaced frequently, replacements are not always kept in the house, and are costly, driving up the ongoing costs of use of the device. Pollack also relies on an electro-mechanical system to sense the presence of a diaper in the drum and to turn the drum. Any type of mechanical system such as this is prone to mechanical failure and/or wear over time. Another drawback to an electro-mechanical system is the reliance on electricity, the use, replacement and cost of batteries, or that the pail must be located near an outlet to function.
Another example of a shortcoming in the prior art is the prior art devices fail to provide a receptacle assembly which is easily used and cleaned. Known diaper pails typically use a receptacle assembly mounted on top of a pail configured to receive the soiled diaper and transfer the soiled diaper into the disposal bag. These diaper pails typically use a bag located within the pail to receive the diapers. Naturally, the use of a bag within the diaper pail is one means of preventing the escape of odors. However, these known diaper pails contain excessive gaps and holes, particularly in the receptacle assembly and related to providing a door and seal at the top of such assembly, and further related to providing a door and seal at the top. The '792 publication to Pollack et al, for example, shows a door over the entry point and various holes and slots immediately adjacent to the location where the diapers are inserted, and insofar as the door is normally closed, it is not possible to easily inspect surface which are most likely to become soiled. The Inventor's prior US patents show a product with a substantially exposed rotating drum having a long perimeter clearance slot all the way around the drum and in the top surface of the receptacle assembly. To the extent such products have any more holes, gaps, and slots that are necessary, such products are less able to contain odors and are also harder to keep clean as there is no single smooth, continuous and easily inspected and cleaned surface adjacent the location where the diapers are inserted. Additionally, known diaper pails often have doors, protruding rotating drums, and similar mechanical looking components which make it difficult to achieve an attractive and suitably shaped product for use in a nursery.
Accordingly, there is believed to be a need in the industry for an improved diaper pail, which includes a better seal arrangement between the housing and the drum to further reduce the escape of odors from within the pail during the rotation of the drum from the upper position to the lower position. Additionally, there is believed to be a need in the industry for an improved diaper pail which provides a minimum number of holes and gaps in the outer surface which can allow odors to escape from the diaper pail. Also, there is believed to be a need in the industry for an improved diaper pail, which has a substantially smooth and continuous, easily cleaned, outer surface adjacent to where the soiled diaper is inserted. Finally, there is believed to be a need for an improved diaper pail which provides a receptacle assembly which is free of doors, protruding rotating drums, and similar mechanical looking components which make the diaper pail look mechanical and thus less suitable for use in a child's nursery.
The instant invention provides a solution to these problems with a diaper pail having a substantially smooth and continuous upper wall which surrounds the diaper opening and which encloses the entire drum assembly, and further having an improved plastic annular seal that has a sufficiently high durometer to provide low friction and less likelihood that diapers' fasteners will catch between the drum and housing yet provides sufficient flexibility to form a functional seal.
As will be further described, the diaper pail generally includes a pail, a bagholder frame received over an open top of the pail, an upper enclosure, and a drum assembly rotatably mounted within the upper enclosure for receiving and transferring a soiled diaper into a disposal bag within the pail while minimizing the release of odor from previously disposed diapers already within the disposal bag.
The pail is generally oval in shape having a closed bottom wall, upwardly extending sidewalls and an open top.
Rotatably hinged to the rear wall of the pail is a bagholder frame which is rotatably movable from a closed position over the open top to an open position where the interior of the pail is accessible. The bagholder frame has a central circular opening through which a plastic disposal bag is received and supported.
Also rotatably hinged to the rear wall of the pail is the upper enclosure. The upper enclosure and the bagholder frame share the same hinge axis. The upper enclosure is rotatably movable from a closed position over the open top of the pail to an open position where the interior of the pail is accessible. The front portions of the bagholder frame and upper enclosure also share a latching assembly for releasably holding the components in the closed positions. The latching assembly also allows the bagholder frame to be releasably attached to the upper enclosure when these components are both in the open position.
The upper enclosure has an upper wall having a substantially smooth and continuous outer surface with a central opening, sized to allow a diaper to pass through. Preferably, the opening is aligned along an axis that is angled from vertical toward the front of the assembly. In particular, the area immediately surrounding the diaper opening is smooth and continuous facilitating the inspection and cleaning of those surfaces most likely to be soiled during the process of inserting a diaper into the pail. The upper enclosure also includes a hinge point which is inside the perimeter of the pail further eliminating holes and gaps associated with hinge assemblies that could allow the escape of odors.
The drum assembly generally includes a drum housing having an upper opening in an upper portion thereof in communication with the opening in the upper wall of the upper enclosure, and a lower opening in a lower portion thereof configured and arranged for mated alignment with a central opening in the bagholder frame. In this regard, the lower portion includes a downwardly projecting neck surrounding the lower opening. As the upper enclosure is rotated to the closed position over the bagholder frame, the neck is received into the central opening to capture and hold the disposal bag in place. An important aspect of the invention is that the entire drum enclosure is contained within the inside of the upper enclosure and beneath the upper wall so that the outer surface of the enclosure can remain substantially smooth and continuous, providing an aesthetically attractive appearance while also eliminating unnecessary holes and gaps.
A substantially spherical drum is rotatably mounted within the drum housing for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis. The drum has a substantially spherical outer surface and a cylindrical diaper cavity arranged along a longitudinal axis perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the drum. The drum is rotatably movable within the drum housing between a normally closed position wherein the cavity faces downwardly and is aligned with the opening in the lower portion of the drum housing and an open position wherein the cavity faces upwardly and is aligned with the opening in the upper portion of the drum housing. In the closed position, the spherical surface of the drum sits within the opening in the upper enclosure and closes off the opening. The smooth spherical surface of the drum blends with the smooth surface of the upper enclosure to form a substantially smooth and continuous outer surface. In the open position, a diaper can be deposited into the cavity through the opening in the upper enclosure. Upon rotation of the drum to the closed position, the cavity returns to alignment with the lower opening, the diaper falls by means of gravity through the lower opening, through the central opening of the bagholder frame and is deposited into the disposal bag.
The drum assembly further includes a flexible plastic annular seal received around the inner peripheral edge of the circular opening in the lower portion of the drum housing. The flexible seal includes a vertically extending skirt portion anchored to the lower portion of the drum housing and a deck portion having an outer fixed edge connected to an upper edge of the skirt portion. In the preferred embodiment, the deck portion extends radially inwardly and downwardly from the upper edge of the skirt portion terminating in a lower edge which is free to move downward. The lower edge of the deck is attached to a downward projecting inner skirt. The lower portion of the inner skirt includes hooked tabs to prevent the skirt and deck portion from moving upward. A lower portion of the downwardly angled deck portion of the seal engages the outer surface of the drum adjacent the lower opening, while the free edge of the flexible seal is movable relative to the fixed end to conform to irregularities in the outer surface of the drum. The deck portion of the seal is also provided with a slight upwardly convex curve to provide a limited but conformable smooth surface contact and seal with the drum. The above-described flexible seal forms a relatively airtight seal around the peripheral edges of the rotating drum to substantially maintain foul air within the disposal bag. While a perfect seal will never be possible, the above-described seal configuration provides improved balance between a sufficiently rigid material, which will provide a low level of friction, a flexible conforming design, which provides a sufficiently stable seal, and a smooth shape and hard surface to prevent hook and loop fasteners from becoming attached to, or destroying the seal.
An actuator handle actuates movement of the drum between the closed and open positions. To facilitate use of the pail, the handle is only required to be moved through 150 degrees of rotation.
Accordingly, among the objects of the instant invention are: the provision of diaper pail including an improved seal which reduces escaping odors; the provision of a diaper pail including a harder plastic seal which, in combination with its smooth shape, will reduce occurrences of diapers becoming lodged between the drum and the housing or occurrences of the hook and loop fastener tabs becoming attached to the seal and resulting in damage to the seal; the provision of a harder plastic seal which provides a low coefficient of friction for ease of rotation of the drum; the provision of a diaper pail which has a minimum of holes and gaps which can allow the unwanted escape of odors; the provision of a diaper pail which has a continuous, smooth, and easily inspected and cleaned surface adjacent the point where diapers are inserted into the product; the provision of a diaper pail which is simple in construction and low in cost; the provision of a diaper pail which is aesthetically attractive to the eye and free of unattractive and mechanical looking appearance of doors rotating drums and similar components; the provision of a diaper pail which has an opening angled toward the front to facilitate placement of the diaper into the drum; and the provision of a diaper pail which requires only a minimum rotation of the handle to move the drum between the operable positions.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.